A Cook's California

A late summer afternoon on The Sonoma Farm Trail provided us with some great ingredients. We used the sweet-tart gravenstein apples of Sebastopol to make a chutney.    It can be used to top wheels of soft-ripening cheese such as Brie, accompany a roast pork loin, or to enliven a bread stuffing for roasted chicken. We used it in a sandwich to balance the saltiness of Willie Bird smoked turkey and the butteriness of St. George farmstead cheese. An oat nut bread would be a nice base.
APPLE CHUTNEY

1 1/2 pounds tart apples (such as Gravenstein or Granny Smith), peeled, cored, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely diced
1 tablespoon oil or clarified butter
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 -ounce piece fresh ginger, peeled, chopped
1 tablespoon curry
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup (packed) golden raisins
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
Toss the apples with the lemon juice. In a medium sauce pan heat the oil or butter and add the onion. Cook over med. heat until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and curry to the pan. Cook, stirring one minute. Add apple and all other ingredients. Simmer until apples are tender and chutney thickens, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Place in bowl. Cool. Cover and chill. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep chilled.)

Makes 1 1/2 Cups.

Originally published in Farmstead Cheese News by Karen Bolla, edited for A Cook’s California (A Cook’s CA)  by Karen Bolla.